Good news, procrastinators — Apple still has stock of iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini eight hours after they went up for preorder Friday. Preorders placed now will still arrive on the first day of availability.
But that’s not true of the HomePod mini. This small smart speaker can no longer be preordered for delivery on its launch date.
No long waits for iPhone 12 mini or Pro Max
Checks by Cult of Mac of the U.S. Apple online store found that, at the time of this writing, almost every configuration of the iPhone 12 Pro Max could be preordered for delivery on November 13, the earliest date the handset is available. The sole exception is the version with 512GB of storage in Graphite. And it’s available to be picked up on Nov. 13 from every Apple retail store in our area.
The same is true for the iPhone 12 mini. Most configurations can still be preordered for delivery on November 13. The rare exceptions are the versions with 256GB of storage in Black or White casings. And these were still available for pickup from Apple Stores in our area as well.
For those not taking notes, Apple did a staggered release of its 2020 handsets. Both the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro launched in October. Orders placed for those models now arrive next week.
HomePod mini sold out on launch day
Anyone who wanted a HomePod mini as soon as possible should have ordered it Friday morning. A few hours later, and the Space Gray version of this $99 smart speaker is sold out until December.
And the White version is longer available for delivery on November 16, the earliest day it reaches customer hands. But the extra wait isn’t long, as this version can be delivered as soon as Nov. 17.
HomePod mini currently isn’t listed as available for pickup in Apple retail stores during launch week.
Admittedly, this doesn’t mean much
Anyone betting on which newly launched Apple product would sell out today probably wouldn’t have put money down on the smart speaker. But the fact that the HomePod mini sold out while the iPhone 12 Pro Max did not doesn’t mean the smart speaker is more popular.
Whether Apple runs out of any product on the first day of preorders is only a reflection of how many units it had on hand. The stockpile of iPhone 12 mini and Pro Max units is almost certainly vastly greater than HomePod mini.
That mean that anyone who still wants the latest iOS handsets can order one right now and not have to wait longer than anyone else.
